Sold weapons materials to Iran, USA claims about Australian man
Asked if he will voluntary go to the U.S. to answer the current allegations Mr. Levick said, “would you?”
“If convicted, Mr. Levick faces a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and 20 years in prison for each count of violating IEEPA,” the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement
“The U.S. is now likely to seek his extradition from Australia to the U.S., if they have not done so already,”
U.S. Accuses Australian Man of Selling Arms Parts to Iran By ENDA CURRAN and JAMES GLYNN, WSJ, March 2, 2012,
SYDNEY—An Australian charged in the U.S. with participating in a scheme to export sensitive technology to Iran says he was unaware the equipment was destined for Tehran until he was warned by Australia’s spy agency.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has indicted David Levick, 50 years old and general manager Sydney-based
electronics company ICM Components Inc., for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and both the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, and Arms Export Control Act as well as four counts of illegally exporting the equipment that could be used for a range of military purposes including missiles, drones and torpedoes. Continue reading
Malicious computer worm – “good” or “bad”, depending on who’s using it
According to computer security firm Symantec, Stuxnet may have been specifically designed to disrupt the motors that power gas centrifuges used to enrich uranium
Stuxnet was ‘good idea’: former CIA chief, Google News, (AFP) – 3 Mar 12, WASHINGTON — The Stuxnet computer virus sabotage of Iran’s nuclear program was a “good idea” but it lent legitimacy to the use of malicious software as a weapon, according to a former CIA director.
“We have entered into a new phase of conflict in which we use a cyber weapon to create physical destruction,” retired general Michael Hayden said in an interview with the CBS television show “60 Minutes” to be aired on Sunday. Continue reading
Hackers break into Lynas’ website, while Malaysian court case continues
Australian miner hacked, WA Today, Rania Spooner February 27, 2012 In a show of opposition to a near-complete rare earths processing plant in Malaysia, the website of Australian miner Lynas Corporation has been hacked. WAtoday.com.au understands the miner’s website was brought down on Sunday as reports emerged of more than 5000 protestors converging on the seaside city of Kuantan, near the site of the controversial facility.
The Lynas website was still down at 7.30pm (EST) Monday, with a message from the company advising: “We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
A hacker, using the name “4z1″ and claiming to be a Malaysian citizen, has taken credit for bringing the site down in a statement on a personal blog.
In a rough translation of 4z1′s statement from Chinese into English, internal Malaysian race issues and fear of radiation from the plant was the explanation for the hacking….
A group of Kuantan residents have launched court proceedings against Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the Malaysian Department of Environment and Lynas Malaysia over the plant, the company reported on Thursday. The group has sought a review of the plant’s temporary operating license granted by the AELB early this month and a halt to the commencement of operations, due in the coming weeks, while such a review is undertaken….
The plant would be used to process concentrate from the Mount Weld deposit in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. The company previously announced plans to transport the concentrate from Mount Weld to Malaysia via road and sea. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/australian-miner-hacked-20120227-1tyn0.html#ixzz1o5i4ZS2d
Current status of Fukushima’s nuclear reactors
Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for February 28th – March 1st, 2012, Greenpeace by Christine McCann – March 2, 2012“”…..Reactor Status The Fukushima Daiichi plant chief, Takeshi Takahashi, admitted this week that the plant is fragile, and its reactors remain highly vulnerable to ongoing earthquakes and the risk of a tsunami. “I have to admit that it’s still rather fragile. Even though the plant has achieved what we call cold-shutdown conditions, it still causes problems that must be improved,” Takahashi said.
TEPCO is continuing to struggle with how to handle large amounts of radioactive water, the byproduct of keeping nuclear fuel in the crippled Fukushima Daiichi reactors cool. The utility is pumping several hundred thousand gallons of water into the reactors each day; the water then becomes contaminated. Experts estimate that 10,000 tons of radioactive water leak from the reactors each month; in January and February alone, 28 new leaks were discovered. TEPCO says it will take at least six years to repair the leaks, and approximately 25 years to remove the fuel. Storage of the radioactive water is becoming an increasingly urgent issue. TEPCO currently has space to store 165,000 tons; 125,000 tons are already being stored. The utility has destroyed nearby forests to create room for more storage containers.
TEPCO announced that Quince II, a Japanese-made robot, has discovered radiation levels measuring 220 millisieverts per hour in reactor #2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The robot, which was designed by researchers at the Chiba Institute of Technology, was created to explore the interior of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors, where radiation levels remain too high for humans to enter. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-february-/blog/39340/
86% of funds to deal with existing waste – UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is unique among government departments because it has to spend almost half of its budget on dealing with existing nuclear waste.
But to see that this has risen to almost almost 86% of overall DECC spending seemed incredible.
DECC must tell us the truth about nuclear waste, Energy and Environmental Management David Thorpe, 1st November 2011 It’s shocking but true: we are not, as I had always understood, investing in a fund to manage our current nuclear waste in the future.
We are paying lip service to it and dodging the question at the expense of future taxpayers.
Moreover, there is total confusion about what provisions are being put in place to manage any future waste from any new nuclear power stations.
Will the real DECC budget please stand up?
Last week, the Guardian published on its website figures which appeared to show that spending by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on nuclear waste management has risen by an astonishing 81%, as part of an overall budget increase from last year of over 146%.
In trying to find out whether this is true I have found out a truth worse than this, as well as an admission that any new nuclear operators are allegedly being asked to contribute to a fund not only to pay for management and disposal of the new nuclear waste which their plants will create, but also for that of existing nuclear waste!
According to the Guardian, in 2009/10 DECC’s entire spend totaled £3.18bn, but in 2010/11 it is spending £8.06bn, an increase of 146.02% that is largely due to nuclear liabilities.
This spending, according to the Guardian, breaks down as follows:
| DECC spending: £ per topic and change from last year | ||
| Topic | Amount | % increase or decrease |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Decommissioning Authority | £6.9bn | +81.12% |
| Committee for Climate Change | £4.4m | +12.12% |
| Low carbon UK | £622.7m | -29.8% |
| International agreement on climate change | £5.4m | +22.42% |
| Promoting low carbon technologies in developing countries |
£278.6m | +159.52% |
| Coal Authority | £0.7m | +87.02% |
| Professional support and infrastructure | £117.7m | -7.62% |
| Energy | £87.2m | +3.33% |
| Historic energy liabilities | £104.5m | -106.8% |
India’s political problems intensify, with anti nuclear movement
Mood at nuclear-plant stir turns anti-DMK , http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Mood-at-nuclear-plant-stir-turns-anti-DMK/articleshow/12116624.cms TNN | Mar 3, 2012 KUDANKULAM: The anti-nuclear stir, spearheaded by the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) at Kudankulam, is turning out to be an anti-DMK and anti-Congress agitation too.
For two days, on Wednesday and Thursday, fishermen from many nearby hamlets went around removing DMK flags from the area, protesting against party president M Karunanidhi’s recent statement that the state government should have taken stern action against those staging a protest against the upcoming nuclear power plant. Karunanidhi on Wednesday accused the state government of extending “silent support” to anti-nuclear protesters.
DMK cadres in many coastal hamlets are incensed by his remarks. “We have decided to quit DMK and the same message has been relayed to coastal villages in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Tuticorin. Party cadres from Idinthakarai, who are participating in the struggle, were asked to assemble at the protest site on Friday. But the decision of quitting the party is for individual cadre to take,” said T Raj Leon, a DMK sympathiser.
The mood has been anti-Congress ever since the agitation started 200 days ago. There are indications that the agitation may take a different turn in the coming days, especially after the Sankarankoil bypoll on March 18 as the state government is likely to show greater desire to resolve the issue. Close on the heels of a meeting between chief minister J Jayalalithaa and those leading the agitation, the government on Friday sent additional director general of police (law and order) S George to the region for an assessment of the situation. He toured the area to gather first-hand knowledge of the terrain. The entire police top brass in south Tamil Nadu accompanied him. A heavy police force was deployed near the plant.
Though there is no word yet on the future course of action, indications are that the state may heed to Centre’s request to clear the area near the plant for completion of works to ensure its early commissioning.
One stop nuclear shop AREVA suffering, as nuclear industry declines
Areva, which has been designed as a one-stop nuclear shop, has been affected by massive impairments on its uranium assets and a slowdown of the nuclear industry following Japan’s Fukushima disaster
Areva Accelerates Disposals By GERALDINE AMIEL, WSJ, March 2, 2012, PARIS—French state-controlled nuclear energy company Areva SA announced two asset disposals as part of a plan to boost competitiveness and better position it to face a slowing civil atomic industry, one year after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear catastrophe. Continue reading
Debts force First Uranium to sell off assets
First Uranium to sell two South African assets for $405 mln, Mar 2, 2012 (Reuters) – First Uranium Corp said it would sell two assets in South Africa for $405 million, as the gold and uranium miner scrambles to liquidate itself to pay off its debts.
The company will sell Mine Waste Solutions, a tailings recovery project, to South Africa-based AngloGold Ashanti Ltd for $335 million in cash.
First Uranium also said it would sell its stake in First Uranium Ltd, which owns the Ezulwini Mining Co, to Australian miner Gold One International Ltd for $70 million. Gold One will also provide a $10 million loan facility to First Uranium.
The company said it is moving ahead with plans to liquidate the company and will use the proceeds to pay its securityholders and shareholders…. http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE8210CP20120302?feedType=RSS&feedName=investingNews
Enormous job opportunities in renewable energy for Africa
Renewable energy projects in Africa can generate jobs, Two-thirds of capacity needed yet to be built Gulf News, By Binsal Abdul Kader , March 2, 2012 Abu Dhabi If Africa adopts renewable energy to meet the growing demand for energy capacity, it can generate several million jobs in the continent, according to the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
Africa faces a unique opportunity as nearly two-thirds of the additional capacity needed by 2030 has yet to be built. The continent can benefit from the recent global progress and cost reductions in renewable power generation technologies, and move directly to a
renewable-based system, the agency said….. Continue reading
Who will pay for UK’s new nuclear waste?
DECC must tell us the truth about nuclear waste Energy and Environmental Management, David Thorpe, 1st November 2011 “…..Who will pay for new nuclear waste? In a phone conversation with another press officer, who I believe to be named Jonathan Farr, he admitted that new nuclear operators like Horizon and EDF are being asked to contribute to a fund not only to pay for management and disposal of the new nuclear waste which their plants will create, but also for that of existing nuclear waste.
I double checked that this was what he meant.
I said, “Are you seriously saying that the government is not putting aside cash to deal with our nuclear legacy but is asking nuclear operators to do so? What do they think of that?”
If I were a nuclear operator I would be outraged.
But the question was dodged. He was having a hard time explaining it in the first place, and merely reiterated the line that the government is taking a responsible position.
DECC’s line on new nuclear waste is: “New nuclear operators will be required by law to put money aside from day one to pay for the eventual decommissioning costs and their full share of waste disposal.” Continue reading
France poorly prepared for a nuclear disaster
Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for February 28th – March 1st, 2012, Greenpeace by Christine McCann – March 2, 2012“…..A new study by French safety organization Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN) reveals that Europe is poorly-equipped to handle a Fukushima-like nuclear disaster. The IRSN provides advice to the ASN, France’s nuclear regulator. The group’s report said that many European countries lack adequate crisis centers, and coordinated means of communication across country lines have not been established.
In addition, the IRSN criticized Japan for failing to adequately monitor radiation exposure in children, and expressed grave concern about the amount of environmental radiation that spewed from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant. Didier Champion, an IRSN crisis manager, said, “The initial contamination linked to the accident has greatly declined. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more, far from it. Today, and for many years to come, we will have a situation of chronic and lasting contamination of the environment.”… http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-february-/blog/39340/
Global anti nuclear movement opposes nuclear in all countries, not just India
The anti-nuclear movement today is a pointer to the huge crisis that India and the world is facing.
the same movement is also opposing American reactors coming up in Gujarat, French EPRs coming up in Jaitapur and indigenous reactors being constructed in places like Chutka and Fatehabad.
How ‘Foreign’ Is The Anti-Nuclear Movement In India?, Counter Currents, By P K Sundaram http://www.countercurrents.org/sundaram290212.htm 29 February, 2012 Dianuke.org The Indian Prime-Minister has started an open tirade against the movement opposing the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. In his recent interview, he alleged that it is “foreign-hand” and NGOs with American funding that are blocking India’s progress, not only in nuclear energy but also in GMOs.
It is one occasion where we can agree with our Prime Minister. It is important to understand today that the anti-nuclear movement in the country is a voice from beyond the existing system. Entirely foreign to the Manmohan Singh’s imagination of India.
The ‘illiterate’ fisherfolk in Koodankulam today earn at least thrice more than what they would earn in the employment guarantee scheme if they become part of the Manmohan-land governed by primitive market policies. Through opposing the reactor, a sustainably-living community is basically refusing to be part of the neo-liberal India. It is not only foreign to our PM’s imagination, it is essentially opposite to what his economics stands for.
The local administration in Jaitapur, in its attempt to ‘reach out’ and ‘educate’ people after their massive protests, went to the Madban village with vehicles loaded with armed men. Nobody from the village came out to welcome them except an old women who asked: if you have come to talk, whom are you afraid of? Why all this battalion? This moral landscape of dignity of the Jaitapur women definitely has no space in the India that Manmohan Singh, Ahluwalia, Chidambaram and other ex-employees of the World Bank and IMF want to impose on us.
The compensation amount for land in Haryana, for the nuclear power plants in Gorakhpur (Fatehabad district), has been raised dramatically over last 2 years. This month, it was raised to 34 hundred thousands rupees per acre of land. This is an unthinkable amount in India for farmers. One of the main reasons to plan a reactor in Haryana, criminally overlooking other requisites of setting-up reactors, was the assumption that farmers there are more likely to agree on better compensation. But the farmers of Gorakhpur and surrounding villages have refused to accept this amount, at the cost of their health, safety and livelihoods, particularly after Fukushima. This is beyond the neo-liberal mindset of our ruling class, where nothing is more than just a commodity. Continue reading
India deports German tourist solely because of his anti nuclear opinions
German tourist’s deportation from Koodankulam: Dr. R S Mohan Lal’s Statement http://www.dianuke.org/german-tourists-deportation-from-koodankulam-dr-r-s-mohan-lals-statement/ Statement of Dr.R.S.Lal Mohan, Nagercoil regarding the News item about the German tourist Mr.Rainer.
Mr.Rainer is a tourist spending his own money. He was staying in a very low budget hotel spending Rs.200/- per day as tariff. He could not afford to pay costly accommodation. He is a very frugal man living a simple life. After working as a computer technologist he saved the money for being a tourist. He used to spend his retired life in India. Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia and Loas as life is cheap in these countries. Even he has lost weight because of Indian food which causes dysentery. He has only 2 or 3 pairs of dress. Computer is his only companion. He loves travel. He calls me sometimes to inform me about the dolphins. He is a Nature lover talks to me about nature and tree planting. He has a high degree of social consciousness and refined behavior
It is absolutely wrong to think he funded any NGOs and supported the Anti-Koodankulam agitation. He has no money to so. Any if the Govt. has proof that he supported the agitation by paying Rs.500 crores, he should have been detained in India instead of deporting him. Now he has no way to deny the charges.
It is wrong on the part of police to treat him shabbly. India is inviting tourists and many people come to Kanyakumari District as tourist. The treatment of Mr.Rainer will carry wrong impression on the tourist from Germany.
As for as I know that Mr.Rainer never gave any donation to any NGO. It is totally false that he funded the Koodankulam agitation. The Nuclear prolobby want to mislead the people that the foreigners life Rainer support the anti koodankulam agitation.
Thank You, (Dr.R.S.Lal Mohan) Conservation of Nature Trust, 43c, Water Tank Road, Nagercoil-1, 28.2.2012, Nagercoil
Rare earths company Lynas wants the profits, but nobody wants the radioactive wastes
Malaysia – How to dispose of the waste? MY Sin Chew Daily,, 2012-03-01 By LIM SUE GOAN, Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE, Four government departments have earlier recommended that Lynas should ship back waste material produced by the refinery plant to Australia. They have a certain representativeness as four departments account for 16% of the total 25 departments.
It was reported that the Malaysian Cabinet has accepted the recommendation and required Lynas to ship back all waste material back to Western Australia. It is indeed a positive development, but is it feasible or just a wishful thinking?
Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore told the Parliament in April last year that the Australian Government would not accept responsibility for any waste produced by Lynas. Even if the recommendation works, there is still a distance from the anti-Lynas group’s demand of revoking the temporary operating licence.
The Cabinet must have a clear decision on the issue, whether to revoke the licence or keep the refinery plant. If they decide to revoke the licence, they have to study how to deal with the aftermath problems, including explaining to the international community that Malaysia does not deliberately violate the agreement. The country might also have to compensate a huge sum of money, particularly when the rare-earth plant’s construction is almost complete.
If they decide to keep the plant, they should then ponder over how to ensure that the waste material will not threaten the people’s health. The chemical toxicity of thorium is estimated to be little and the risk is mostly from its radioactivity. The most stable isotope of thorium is 232Th, with a half-life of 14.05 billion years. Can Lynas’ permanent waste disposal facilities withstand the test of time and natural disasters?
In politics, the BN must also get prepared for attacks, particularly from political leaders of eastern Peninsula.
Since the anti-Lynas movement is in full swing in the civil society, BN leaders must think twice before making a speech. If they make a slip of the tongue, including calling it a local community issue and threatening to sell cendol at the rallies, it would only heighten the public’s ill-feeling. As Himpunan Hijau 2.0 chairman Wong Tuck said, the then process of approving the investment of Lynas lacked transparency and who actually allows the plant to be built in Kuantan? Why was the environment-threatening projects approved within a week?
……. we wonder how severe is the assessment procedure in Malaysia. It is understood that the Pahang Environment Department had given its approval only three weeks after Lynas submitted its environmental impact assessment report, while the radiation impact assessment procedure was completely opaque.
Should the rare-earth refinery plant be kept after the exposure of so many management weaknesses in the approval process? http://www.mysinchew.com/node/70809
Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown – PBS documentary
THE MEDIA DID NOT HYPE FUKUSHIMA…. New Yorker, by Evan Osnos, March 1, 2012 “….. the new PBS “Frontline” documentary, “Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown,” … . “We were lucky,” Iwakuma says. “Just lucky.”…. one of the clearest—and most troubling—lessons to be drawn from the Fukushima story: plain old luck, along with a colossal dose of heroism and quick-thinking, prevented the Fukushima nuclear meltdowns from wounding Japan even more thoroughly than they did. That is the lesson that comes through in several new projects appearing in preparation for the first anniversary of the tsunami and nuclear disaster.
The “Frontline” documentary by the filmmaker Dan Edge does an admirable job of recreating the mood of the crucial first days by locating workers who were involved, despite continued efforts by the power company to prevent them from talking… http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2012/03/the-media-did-not-hype-fukushima.html
1 This Month
22 June – Virtual Event –Climate Change: New Data, New Debate
Monday, June 22, 2026 2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. CT
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25 June- THE PUKE ON NUKES
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From NRC & DOE Deregulation to Techno-Fascist Billionaires Going Nuclear, Plus a Few Songs from Atomic Cabaret REGISTER
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Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State
PETITION: “Global Appeal to Endorse Palestinian Right of Return of Refugees”
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